We are in full flow of the World Cup now and below we have three singles where we are predicting three sides to win to nil. Get on the treble if you fancy something a little more risky.
Belgium vs. Algeria – 5.00pm Tuesday
Belgium to win to nil 6/4 with SkyBet
Belgium and Algeria are two of the final teams to get their World Cup campaigns underway as they meet in the earlier kick off on Tuesday. Belgium have been backed to do very well in Brazil with a strong contingent of Premier League players.
Marc Wilmots’ side cruised through qualifying and finished nine points in front of the chasing pack which included Croatia, Serbia and Scotland. Algeria on the other hand are not fancied by well… anyone. Many don’t realise however, that they’re actually the highest FIFA ranked African side in the competition and will have enjoyed going under the radar.
Belgium should still win this one comfortably but I cannot see them winning by more than two goals as they look to get the job done and keep it tight. Algeria were probably the most boring side to watch during the last World Cup and even though they will bring a lot more energy via the young players of Nabil Bentaleb, Saphir Taider and Yacine Brahimi in midfield, they should still find it hard to find goals.
Manager Vahid Halilhodzic continues to keep the side well organised with a touch of flair provided by the younger players. Here against Belgium I expect those young players to be kept on the bench and the more wise and experienced defensive midfielders of Mehdi Lacen and Hassan Yebda to start.
Belgium have plenty of match winners and even though I expect this game to be tighter than most expect, the likes of Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne can win you a match in a moment. Keep an eye on Chelsea’s De Bruyne who top scored with four during qualifying and is absolutely loved by Wimots with the whole team being played around the former Genk goal scorer.
Thibaut Courtois in goal is proving to be one of the best keepers on the planet and will save you a goal a game and I am expecting a clean sheet to come his way.
Russia vs. South Korea – 11.00pm Tuesday
Russia to win to nil 5/2 with SkyBet
Russia join Belgium as favourites to qualify from Group H and kick off their challenge with a late fixture against South Korea who haven’t had the most ideal of preparations. South Korea ended their warm up games with a 4-0 defeat to Ghana after struggling with illness throughout the previous week. We would expect that to have now passed, however, manager Hong Myung-Bo will have a lot more questions than answers than he would like going into the World Cup.
Throughout qualification South Korea were never convincing and only just qualified due to their goal difference however goals were always hard to come by. Top scorer for the Asian outfit was Lee Keun-ho who grabbed just three goals. A low return considering the opposition included Uzbekistan, Qatar and Lebanon.
Russia on the other hand will be well organised as always under Fabio Capello and a clean sheet is likely when you look at their record. During their ten qualifying games they managed five cleans sheets and seven wins. Losing captain Roman Shirokov is a hammer blow for Russia, the influential midfielder was key to how this side played and Capello may opt for two holding midfielders rather than one now which should make them even harder to break down. Russia still have all the quality for a victory but a clean sheet will be the first objection.
Netherlands vs. Australia – 5.00pm Wednesday
Netherlands to win to nil EVENS with BetVictor
These two sides suffered opposite emotions last Friday evening as their World Cups kicked off in different manners. The Netherlands shocked the world with their 5-1 demolition of Spain which will go down as a World Cup classic. Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie and Daley Blind set the competition alight with many people having written them off before they had even kicked a ball- including Spain and I.
I expect a slightly more reserved performance here against Australia, one which won’t be quite as entertaining as what we witnessed a few days ago. The Netherlands should still win comfortably with all he confidence they now posses, but I can see them keeping it tight at the back first of all. Ron Vlaar impressed us all with his performance up against Diego Costa and Tim Cahill is likely to get the same treatment. Spain only managed one and I can see Australia finishing the tie empty handed.
Australia looked dangerous at times against Chile but Chile play with the highest defensive line out of all 32 sides at the World Cup and are always bound to concede with their wild and exciting tactics- Gary Medel at centre back shows all their intention. Australia will continue to play with freedom rather than shutting up shop which is great for neutral but is likely to end in tears here against a rampant Dutch side who also kept six clean sheets from ten games in qualifying. Expecting a win to nil by two or three goals.
